The invention relates to electronic vaping devices usable by users to “vape”, i.e., draw (e.g., inhale, puff, etc.) vapor from the electronic vaping devices using their mouth.
Electronic vaping devices, which are sometimes referred to as “electronic cigarettes”, “e-cigarettes” or “personal vaporizers”, are becoming increasingly popular. For instance, electronic cigarettes may be used by various people to simulate smoking (e.g., tobacco smoking), including current or past smokers of tobacco cigarettes (e.g., who are trying to quit or may have previously quit tobacco smoking) and individuals who never were smokers of tobacco cigarettes.
The world of electronic vaping, provides a massive selection of different styles and types of devices that can be easily classified as overwhelming. Various types of vapor devices are available ranging from e-cigarettes to high wattage advanced personal vaporizers.
FIG. 1A shows a basic diagram of a Vape Device. There are a few basic parts that all vaping devices have in common. They appear different in appearance and form factors, from one another, but perform the same basic functions. The typical parts associated with a Vaping Device is explained below:
a) Vape Tanks or atomizers: This part of the device houses the wicks, e-liquid and heating coil. Atomizer has one or more resistance wire coils and its wick(s) often with some form of reservoir to hold e-liquid. They are available in different styles that include atomized cartridges, Cartomizers, Clearomizers, Rebuildable Tank Atomizers, Rebuildable Dripping Atomizers, Hybrid Atomizers (rebuildable dripping tank atomizers and Genesis Atomizers).
b) Vape Coils: a replaceable assembly or section of wire that has been wound into a spring like coil shape. The coils are then wicked with an absorbent material, like cotton, which absorbs the e-liquid. The wire coils(s) are then heated to vaporize the e-liquid on the wicks. The Coil's resistance depends upon several factors including the type of wire used, the diameter of the coil and the number of wraps a coil has. Resistance is the key unit of a coil that determines the amount of electricity it will need to power it and the amount of heat it will produce.
c) Batteries: powers the device or Mod, some devices use an integrated battery while the others use replaceable cells.
d) Vape Mods: The device housing batteries that connects and transfers power to the clearomizer or atomizer.
e) E-Juice/Concentrates: A mixture of propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, food flavorings, and sometimes nicotine which is heated to create vapor for inhalation.
Most electronic vaping device, are subjected to replacement or replenishment of 3 components that will permit to continue vaping: 1) The e-liquid 2) the coils used in the clearomizer and 3) the wicks.
FIG. 1B shows in more details the wick used in the vape device of FIG. 1A. Wicks play an important role in how well the vaporizer performs. Wicks are the components that carry e-liquids to the coil. Application of the wick onto/into the coil is more a “technique” with various hand tools (cutters, tweezers, etc.) involved. Often, it takes considerable amount of trial and error to “nail wick” with an atomizer. It takes effort & time before a vaper really learns the art of “priming the wick”.
The deployment of the wick in the vape device is complex with 3 steps:
Step 1: insert the wicking material (organic cotton. In this representation) These usually come in sheets or rolls and need to be cut to˜a half inch strip before removing the first thin layers (on one or both sides) which are a bit more rigid than the stuff on the inside. Then the cotton is rolled and one of the ends is made to pass through the coil. When the cotton passes the coil, it needs to have a bit of resistance but at the same time it doesn't have to be so compact that it pulls the coil with it.
Step 2: Typical practice is to cut the ends of the cotton and leave around half an inch sticking out of each side of the resistance. Later, the cotton is tugged in the e-juice well just under the coils and using some e-liquid to saturate the wicking material. This process is repeated depending on the number of coils.
Step 3: Saturated wick ready to be inserted & vaped.
The “dry hits” are the worst experience a user can have during a normal vaping session. A dry hit is the moment when the user pulls on an atomizer or cartomizer that's not fully saturated. This lack of saturation causes the heat to warm up the actual wicking material, burning or charring it slightly and bringing an extremely unpleasant flavor into the mouth. No matter how experience the user is as a vaper or how careful the user inserts the wick, a dry hit can always creep up when least expected. In addition to various reasons that lead to an “dry hit”, the art of priming the wick plays an important role in ensuring a good vaping experience. The below list tries to summarize the adverse effects of improper wicking as can be heard or learnt from various vaping experiences:
a) If the wick is loose and is not making good contact with a coil, those spots will eventually get ‘cooked’ by the heat of the coil and will scorch and cause a burnt taste.
b) The taste of the vapor will be the biggest indicator for any vaper. It is common knowledge that if it doesn't taste right then it needs rewicking. Too tight or too loose cotton (or other wicking material) can potentially alter the taste. Too tight of a wicking can provide a more intense cotton taste and will feel dryer and less flavorful than it should be.
c) Depending on which cotton or wicking material used for the wicks, there are sometimes stray strands that pop up, if any stray strands are either coming out from the cotton inside the coil or at the edge of the coil. Normal practice is to try to remove them (with tweezers). If they are not removed then they can affect the taste (as they will burn) when you start vaping, they make it scratchier on the throat and have a ‘burnt hair’ taste.